It’s September so it is back to school and back to work in France. It has been a very long and hot summer and for many people, it hasn’t been very restful. Many of you would have seen the news about were the major wildfires along the south-west coast which forced numerous residents to evacuate due to the smoke.
Financial update France September 2026
By Katriona Murray-Platon
This article is published on: 9th September 2026
Fortunately, our town wasn’t evacuated, though the neighbouring town was not so lucky. Whilst most people have been able to return to their homes, the long process of rebuilding has only just begun for those who tragically lost their properties.
Over the summer, you should have received your tax statements either by post or on the impots.gouv.fr website. If you have less tax to pay than last year, this amount should have already been reimbursed to you in August. If, however, you have more tax to pay then your monthly payments (those that are made around the middle of the month) will increase as from the middle of September and any additional tax will be taken over four equal instalments at the end of September, October, November and December. If you don’t pay your tax automatically through your bank, you must pay the amount owed by 15th September. If you owe less than €300 of excess tax and you pay by direct debit, the amount will be taken on 25th September.
On 25th August 2026 the Prudential Assurance Company (PAC) board reviewed the Prufund Expected Growth Rates (EGR) as part of the Prufund regular quarterly review. The Prufund aims to grow their customers’ investments over the medium to long term (5 to 10 years) whilst buffering investors against short-term market volatility, using the unique established smoothing process.The Expected Growth Rate (EGR), the forward-looking element of the Prufund smoothing mechanism, remains unchanged this quarter. As regards the Unit Price Adjustment (UPA), the backward-looking part of the Prufund smoothing process, which is formulaic and non-discretionary, there was an upward UPA for the Prufund Cautious USD Dollar fund of 2.04%. Prufund is designed for the delivery of consistent returns over the medium to long term and although Prufund may lag behind a rapidly rising market, it protects in a falling market, demonstrating the consistency and robustness of Prufund in an ever more volatile world.
Despite troubling news headlines, August proved to be a surprisingly strong month for financial markets and balanced portfolios.
While geopolitical uncertainty and interest rate trajectories remain key concerns, second-quarter corporate earnings and Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) surveys indicate that the global economy continues to show resilience.
Notably, robust second-quarter results from US chipmaker Nvidia helped reassure investors following recent anxiety around the tech and AI sectors.
August’s performance reinforces the timeless investment wisdom: “time in the market” consistently beats “timing the market,” and maintaining a well-diversified portfolio remains the most effective strategy for managing volatility.
On 1st August the interest rates on the Livret A and LDDS savings accounts increased slightly from 1.5% to 1.7% to take into account the increase in inflation. The LEP account rate—available to households meeting specific income criteria – remains at 2.5%.
If you are planning energy-efficiency improvements for your property and wish to access government funding, you will need to consult the updated MaPrimeRénov’ guidelines, as the list of qualifying renovations was recently revised.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, it is an ideal time to consider your existing financial arrangements and your objectives for the months ahead. If you have any financial matters you would like to explore, please feel free to get in touch to arrange a review of your personal situation.